THE KING OF A GREAT COUNTRY
HIS SERVANT
A BEGGAR
_A chamber in the palace overlooks a courtyard. The season is
midsummer. The windows of the palace are open, and from a
distance there comes the sound of a man's voice crying for bread._
THE KING _sits in a golden chair. A golden crown is on his head,
and he holds in his hand a sceptre which is also of gold. A_
SERVANT _stands by his side, fanning him with an enormous fan of
peacock feathers._
THE BEGGAR (_outside_). Bread. Bread. Bread. Give me some bread.
THE KING (_languidly_). Who is that crying in the street for bread?
THE SERVANT (_fanning_). O king, it is a beggar.
THE KING. Why does he cry for bread?
THE SERVANT. O king, he cries for bread in order that he may fill
his belly.
THE KING. I do not like the sound of his voice. It annoys me very
much. Send him away.
THE SERVANT (_bowing_). O king, he _has_ been sent away.
THE KING. If that is so, then why do I hear his voice?
THE SERVANT. O king, he has been sent away many times, yet each
time that he is sent away he returns again, crying louder than he
did before.
THE KING. He is very unwise to annoy me on such a warm day. He
must be punished for his impudence. Use the lash on him.
THE SERVANT. O king, it has been done.
THE KING. Then bring out the spears.
THE SEBVANT. O king, the guards have already bloodied their
swords many times driving him away from the palace gates. But it
is of no avail.
THE KING. Then bind him and gag him if necessary. If need be cut
out his tongue. I do not like the sound of the fellow's voice. It
annoys me very much.
THE SERVANT. O king, thy orders were obeyed even yesterday.
THE KING (_frowning_). No. That cannot be. A beggar cannot cry for
bread who has no tongue.
THE SERVANT. Behold he can--if he has grown another.
THE KING. What! Why, men are not given more than one tongue in a
lifetime. To have more than one tongue is treason.
THE SERVANT. If it is treason to have more than one tongue, O
king, then is this beggar surely guilty of treason.
THE KING (_pompously_). The punishment for treason is death. See to
it that the fellow is slain. And do not fan me so languidly. I am
very warm.
THE SERVANT (_fanning more rapidly_). Behold, O great and
illustrious king, all thy commands were obeyed even yesterday.
THE KING. How! Do not jest with thy king.
THE SERVANT. If I jest, then there is truth in a jest. Even
yesterday, O king, as I have told thee, the beggar which thou now
hearest crying aloud in the street was slain by thy soldiers with
a sword.
THE KING. Do ghosts eat bread? Forsooth, men who have been slain
with a sword do not go about in the streets crying for a piece of
bread.
THE SERVANT. Forsooth, they do if they are fashioned as this
beggar.
THE KING. Why, he is but a man. Surely he cannot have more than
one life in a lifetime.
THE SERVANT. Listen to a tale, O king, which happened yesterday.
THE KING. I am listening.
THE SERVANT. Thy soldiers smote this beggar for crying aloud in
the streets for bread, but his wounds are already healed. They
cut out his tongue, but he immediately grew another. They slew
him, yet he is now alive.
THE KING. Ah! that is a tale which I cannot understand at all.
THE SERVANT. O king, it may be well.
THE KING. I cannot understand what thou sayest, either.
THE SERVANT. O king, that may be well also.
THE KING. Thou art speaking now in riddles. I do not like
riddles. They confuse my brain.
THE SERVANT. Behold, O king, if I speak in riddles it is because
a riddle has come to pass.
(THE BEGGAR'S _voice suddenly cries out loudly._)
THE BEGGAR (_outside_). Bread. Bread. Give me some bread.
THE KING. Ah! He is crying out again. His voice seems to me
louder than it was before.
THE SERVANT. Hunger is as food to the lungs, O king.
THE KING. His lungs I will wager are well fed. Ha, ha!
THE SERVANT. But alas! his stomach is quite empty.
THE KING. That is not my business.
THE SERVANT. Should I not perhaps fling him a crust from the
window?
THE KING. No! To feed a beggar is always foolish. Every crumb
that is given to a beggar is an evil seed from which springs
another fellow like him.
THE BEGGAR (_outside_). Bread. Bread. Give me some bread.
THE SERVANT. He seems very hungry, O king.
THE KING. Yes. So I should judge.
THE SERVANT. If thou wilt not let me fling, him a piece of bread
thine ears must pay the debts of thy hand.
THE KING. A king can have no debts.
THE SERVANT. That is true, O king. Even so, the noise of this
fellow's begging must annoy thee greatly.
THE KING. It does.
THE SERVANT. Doubtless he craves only a small crust from thy
table and he would be content.
THE KING. Yea, doubtless he craves only to be a king and he would
be very happy indeed.
THE SERVANT. Do not be hard, O king. Thou art ever wise and just.
This fellow is exceedingly hungry. Dost thou not command me to
fling him just one small crust from the window?
THE KING. My commands I have already given thee. See that the
beggar is driven away.
THE SERVANT. But alas! O king, if he is driven away he will
return again even as he did before.
THE KING. Then see to it that he is slain. I cannot be annoyed
with the sound of his voice.
THE SERVANT. But alas! O great and illustrious king, if he is
slain he will come to life again even as he did before.
THE KING. Ah! that is true. But his voice troubles me. I do not
like to hear it.
THE SERVANT. His lungs are fattened with hunger. Of a truth they
are quite strong.
THE KING. Well, propose a remedy to weaken them.
THE SERVANT. A remedy, O king?
(_He stops fanning._)
THE KING. That is what I said. A remedy--and do not stop fanning
me. I am exceedingly warm.
THE SERVANT (_fanning vigorously_). A crust of bread, O king,
dropped from yonder window--forsooth that might prove a remedy.
THE KING (_angrily_). I have said I will not give him a crust of
bread. If I gave him a crust to-day he would be just as hungry
again to-morrow, and my troubles would be as great as before.
THE SERVANT. That is true, O king. Thy mind is surely filled with
great learning.
THE KING. Therefore, some other remedy must be found.
THE SERVANT. O king, the words of thy illustrious mouth are as
very meat-balls of wisdom.
THE KING (_musing_). Now let me consider. Thou sayest he does not
suffer pain--
THE SERVANT. Therefore he cannot be tortured.